The Catcher In The Rye

In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, the main character is depicted as a sixteen-year-old boy who wants to be the savior of children's innocence. Holden is always afraid of change and wants everything in his life to stay the same, as it was when he was younger. Holden desires to be "the catcher in the rye," and explicates this when he says, "...I keep picturing all of these little kids playing some …

…have their mouths way open, but kids don't. Kids look all right." Holden says that children look nice even when they are asleep and have their mouths wide open. Holden wants to be "the catcher in the rye" in order to save all children from all the stress and frustration involved with growing up. However, he also wishes to be his sister's savior because he doesn't want her to suffer as much as he has.